1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system and a data processing method which is adapted thereto, and, more particularly, to a computer system with a diagnosis capability, which has a simple system architecture, and a data processing method to be adapted thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some computer systems are equipped with a service processor (SVP) in addition to a main processor. The SVP is, for example, a so-called sub system independent of the computer system and is used in, for example, failure diagnosis of hardware. The SVP is connected to an input/output (I/O) unit located outside the computer system and receives an instruction to diagnose, for example, the operational status of the hardware of the computer system from the I/O unit. The SVP also transmits information representing diagnosis results to the I/O unit in accordance with an instruction from the I/O unit.
As mentioned above, an I/O unit (console for the SVP) which gives an instruction to the SVP is connected to an SVP-equipped computer system. In addition to this I/O unit, an I/O unit (console for the main processor) which inputs an instruction to the main processor is connected to the computer system. The connection of plural I/O units has made the system architecture of conventional computer system relatively complex.
The complex system architecture is particularly noticeable in a multi-processor computer system having a plurality of main processors. To be more specific, a multi-processor computer system is connected with consoles for the individual main processors in addition to a console for the SVP. Because the main-processor consoles were needed by the number of the main processors, the system architecture was more complicated.
A computer system which has overcome the complexity of the system architecture is disclosed in, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H9-114789. In this computer system, a single I/O unit (main-processor console) selects one of plural main processors which should execute a predetermined process and allows the selected main processor to perform the process.
As this computer system employs the structure that requires a SVP for each main processor, however, there is some room for improvement in simplifying the architecture of the computer system by reducing the number of SVPs.